Online networks and social media platforms allow individuals and organizations to directly influence and create social change within today’s society in both positive and negative ways. Over the previous decades the rapid development of technology and growth in social media platforms as well as online networks has heightened the way in which people can stay connected. However, it has also created a way in which institutions, organizations and even individuals can influence social change. While this ability to influence social change and society can provide both positive and negative outcomes there is no denying that online networks and social media platforms in themselves are a powerful driving force and one of the best tools to get the job done when advocating for change.
One of the biggest and most notable changes was the emergence of the web 2.0 era in the first decade of the twenty first century. The internet was no longer a static network used for transferring data between two locations, ‘it was now a sophisticated multidisciplinary tool enabling individuals to create content, communicate with one another, and even escape reality’ (Dentzel, 2021). Users or influencers as they would soon become known of growing social media platforms quickly became to realize that these online virtual spaces provided them with a way to become publishers, commentators and creators at the simple click of a button’ (Dentzel, 2021). Social media influencers can be defined as an entity that has the power to persuade others to act in a particular way based on their own recommendations. Generally, influencers establish their credibility in a specific industry by showing or promoting the success they have had in this area, these areas are quite diverse, some examples include recommendations or advice on fitness and health, fashion, or even parenting. Influencers take advantage of the marketing and reach social networking can provide them with. An example of an individual who has done such to grow his career in the fitness Industry is Australian body builder, online personal trainer, gym shark athlete and health and fitness influencer Zac Perna. ‘Zac currently has more than 773,000 subscribers on YouTube (YouTube, 2021), and 582,000 followers on Instagram (Instagram, 2021). Zac also manages his own online coaching business through a web service specifically set up with his online clients that allow them to receive weekly workout and meal plans. While YouTube and Instagram are the only two main social media platforms Zac utilises, they have been the main driving force behind the success of his career in the industry. The content he creates and then distributes on these platforms allows him to directly influence the way people act regarding daily health and fitness routines. Up and comers are not the only ones utilizing mainstream social media to influence and drive successful careers, for example chef Jamie Oliver has over 8.3 million followers on Instagram (Instagram, 2021) and uses the platform to market and distribute his books and recipes online. While these influencers are distributing different content, they are both taking advantage of a free online marketing tool that allows them exposure.
These are just a few of many examples of how influencers have the power to directly influence change within society on a day-to-day basis.
While individuals are utilizing social media platforms to directly influence social change, so are large scale organizations and groups, in particular political parties. In today’s day and age everyone is on social media, making it one of best ways to gain exposure quickly and efficiently. ‘During the US election of 2020 reports show 72% of U.S citizens who were of legal voting age used some sort of social media that was associated with political propaganda’ (Suciu. P, 2020). Focusing on your target audience is a key aspect of any marketing campaign therefore it comes to no surprise that political online propaganda is vastly spreading amongst social media sites to directly influence and persuade voters, and in particular the youth of todays societies. More than 70% of today’s youth when surveyed during the 2020 election stated that they had been repeated exposed to political advertisement on online platforms during the 2020 election, many also stating that the information in many ways was informative or taught them something they were unaware of. This exposure also spreads to voters who are not yet of voting age, those between the grades of year seven and twelve where 20% of who were surveyed reported that their political views had been shaped by social media (Suciu. P, 2020). While they are not currently allowed to vote and would not contribute to the success of a candidate for the currently election if this candidate were to run during the next presidential election, they have potentially already gained support from a voter who will be of voting age when the next election is held. ‘While Donald Trump’s use of twitter to discuss hot topics for debate was seen during the 2016 elections, exposure to this platform has only grown showing that prior to the 2020 electoral debate Donald Trump had as many as 87 Million followers, Joe Biden having much less at 11 Million’ (Suciu. P, 2020). Due to Donald Trump losing the 2020 election this does shows that widespread exposure is not necessarily the only key to success in political campaigning but does play a major role in influencing voters to vote for your cause. While having a much lower follower count, during the presidential debate of 2020 Biden received more than 500,000 mentions on Twitter, with Donald Trump receiving less than half as many (Suciu. P, 2020). This is a great representation of how today social networking is heavily intertwined with social change within society and that it is not something that can be ignored when striving for change.
While influence from these online networks as it has already been explained can be an extremely positive thing, however it also has the potential to negatively influence the way society perceives situations. An example of this is what is common referred to as fake news. Fake news is false information that is presented as if it is real, quite commonly but not always with the with the intent to damage the reputation of someone or something and create influence for its audience. Due to the speed that information is now capable of spreading by as a result of online networks, audiences and viewers do not always verify the authenticity of what they have seen (Force, 2016). Unfortunately, this can than result in a vicious cycle of fake news spreading quickly. An example of fake news causing influence within society was the rumours that came to light around the time of the 2016 US presidential election that supposedly tied Hillary Clinton to a paedophilia and human trafficking ring. These rumours were widespread by the social networking site known as Facebook as users shared, commented and re-posted once hearing about the news. After much investigation it came to light that these claims that Hillary Clinton was involved with criminal activity were false. Further investigated revealed that this claim ‘originated with a single unsubstantiated post on a conspiracy forum and was then reposted on thousands of other websites’ (Force, 2016). While the original uploader of this fake news was posting to a conspiracy forum and most likely did not do so with the malicious intent of damaging Hillary’s Clintons public reputation, this was most certainly the result. As a further result, a pizza shop known as known as Comet Ping Pong that was falsely claimed to be a front for the paedophilia and human trafficking ring that Hillary Clinton was involved with received much public backlash as well as an incident that involved a man discharging a firearm on the premises of the pizza shop before being arrested. While no one was injured in this incident it perfectly demonstrates how powerful the influence of an online social networking sites can be if information is misrepresented or used with malicious intent. Online networks and social media have the potential to be extremely powerful tools to achieve incredibly positive results, however when used with malicious intent or without care they can cause catastrophic damage and influence.
Online social networking sites are most certainly not going anywhere and have become a staple piece of our everyday lives and therefore for the foreseeable future will continue to be play a large role of influence in today’s society. While they can be an incredible driving force to help individuals and organisations spread awareness quickly, they also have the potential to be very negative if information is mishandled or published with malicious intent. For this reason, it is paramount for anyone involved in social networking to understand the potential impact and influence that social networking plays in today’s society.
References
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Dentzel, Z., 2021. How the Internet Has Changed Everyday Life | OpenMind. [online] OpenMind. Available at: <https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/internet-changed-everyday-life/> [Accessed 2 April 2021].
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Halpern, D., Valenzuela, S., & Katz, J. (2017). We Face, I Tweet: How Different Social Media Influence Political Participation through Collective and Internal Efficacy. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 22(6), 320–336. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12198
Suciu, P. (2020). Social Media Could Determine The Outcome Of The 2020 Election. Retrieved 4 April 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/10/26/social-media-could-determine-the-outcome-of-the-2020-election/?sh=1ed650ea26f6. Social Media Could Determine The Outcome Of The 2020 Election. Retrieved 4 April 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2020/10/26/social-media-could-determine-the-outcome-of-the-2020-election/?sh=1ed650ea26f6
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Hi Jacob,
This is Wen. This is a very interesting paper. Well done on this!
It is true that social media influencers do have positive influence on the society and the online community. However, social media influencers can also lead to a negative results from a much realistic aspect regarding sponsorships, paid collaborations, and disclosure issues. As Ganga and Gaelle (2019) indicated, “non-disclosure of paid endorsements by social media influencers challenges notions of openness and transparency, implicating sponsoring organizations in deeply problematic issues of truth, fairness, transparency, and disclosure”.
Reference:
Ganga S. D., & Gaelle, D. (2019). Relationship management through social media influencers: Effects of followers’ awareness of paid endorsement,
Public Relations Review, 45(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.03.002
Hi Jacob,
Interesting read, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your paper.
I appreciated how you have discussed and elaborated on how social media can be used both by the individual as well as organisations. Social media has become embedded into our everyday lives, to the point that many businesses and individuals rely on it for their livelyhood. I absolutely agree with you that there are both positive as well as negative effects to consider when it comes to social media. We can argue that the emergence of social media has lead to a degradation of our social structure since people now feel pressure to conform to norms more than ever before. We are noticing this at a younger age nowadays too. Children are becoming image conscious at a significantly younger age than in the past, this can be credited to them getting mobile phones at a younger age. This essentially means, that from a younger age they are connected to the virtual world. While this is necessary for the direction we are moving, as we are a technological society, it is damaging to children’s mental health.
This being said, the advances that social media has provided is are astonishing, particularly the way it is affecting the distribution of content and marketing. Social media is creating jobs for many but at the same time taking away jobs in traditional roles that have now been dominated by social media. Continuing with negative effects, your discussion about fake news is incredibly relevant in reference to my paper on cancel culture. People can be targeted and cancelled on social media for “fake news” or information that has been spread about them that is false. This is incredibly dangerous and has huge damage potential. The worse part is, with the power of social media and the masses, there is the thing that these targeted individuals can do to rid the social network of the false rumour.
Thank you again for an insightful read Jacob
Matt
Hello Jacob
Thank you for an interesting read.
Social media is changing the way in which people and communities socialize, communicate, and collaborate with each other in a contemporary society. There has been phenomenal growth in the use of internet for communication and collaboration between people through social media networking sites. with platforms used for economic, charitable, health, political purposes. There are numerous social media platforms that have changed the way people communicate, Twitter being one of the important platforms. Twitter has changed and influenced the way people communicate issues that are relevant and of interest to users and also for bringing about change through campaigns for causes that need attention. Like everything else, social media has its pros and cons and can pose potential problems if not used in the right manner. The importance of social media platforms cannot be negated in developing effective communities that support and collaborate with each other if and when used for the right reasons.
Thank you
Kanishk
Hi Kanishk,
Thank you for taking the time to ready my paper I’m glad you enjoyed it! I couldn’t agree more that Twitter has been one of the key players when it comes to social media platforms being a driving force for change in todays society. Personally I think any new platform that gains main stream traction in todays technology era has the potential to be quite influential.
Regards, Jacob.
Hi Jacob,
I’ve really enjoyed reading your paper.
I agree the fact that influencers can play a huge role in persuading others to follow a certain idea just like the Presidential election back in 2016. I also agree that social media plays a huge role in producing fake news. This reminded me way back in 2016 regarding the US election of Clinton’s conspiracy. This news whether it’s true or not have made the other party in having the advantage.
Thank you!
Feel free to read my paper regarding how social media can help individuals who are suffering with mental illness: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/28/how-social-media-such-as-twitter-and-discord-can-help-individuals-with-mental-illness-and-build-communities-online/
Hi Alex,
The presidential election is a great representation of this, especially Hilarys fake news scandal. The fact that it is still talked about today shows how much of an impact it really had.
Thank you for taking the time to read my paper, I’ll be sure to check out yours!
Regards, Jacob.
Hi Jacob,
Thank you for an interesting read and well-structured essay. Well done.
I do agree that social media influencers have significant ‘power to persuade others to in a particular way based on their own recommendations’. I really liked how you used real life examples to impact your argument, especially the one about Zac Perna, it made it really relatable and gave a great insight to how an influencer uses social media to promote a product/ business and how it has a great influence on consumers and users of social media. I really learnt a lot about fake news and gave me great insight to the damages of the quick spread of particular ‘fake news’ can have on people’s lives. It really shows how powerful social media and online networks are in both positive outcomes and negative outcomes that cause damage due to the major influence of social media in society.
I agree with your last sentence that it is ‘paramount for anyone involved in social networking to understand the potential impact and influence that social networking plays in today’s society’.
Once again, a really well structured paper that I really enjoyed reading.
Hi Mikayla,
I’m glad you liked it! Although social media platforms greatly known for all the benefits they provide there are so many people that don’t understand their full potential and the power they themselves can have online.
Thank you for taking the time to read my paper,
Regards, Jacob.
Hey Jacob,
Fantastic paper, the thesis statement was clearly presented in what the audience and readers can except from your conference paper. I thought your conference paper brought up compelling information and engaging examples that are relevant in society and how it functions. As many researchers and you have stated, due to the rapid innovation of social media in current society is constantly evolving and being adopted by a variety of different users in order to suit their needs. The evolving nature accounts for the demands that can arise, one of those demands is the use of a persona for an individual or organisation. In terms of an organisation and revolution, a persona is the main interest in gaining members or an audience, followers are able to gain information on the how, what and why the organisation was formed and the series of events that hopefully will spark change to come. As mentioned within your paper, you talk about the significance of utilizing social media as a mechanism as an informant, a series of movements including the Black Lives Moment equipped Instagram to create a ‘media blackout’ and many hashtags incorporated the injustices of African Americans and George Floyd. Without the tool of social media employed in today’s society against the hardships, what do you believe is another alternative to broadcast this information?
If interested, I noticed a lot of similarities within each of our conference papers both incorporating social media as a mechanism of change. I will provide the link down below
Many thanks!
LINK: https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/27/facebook-as-a-construct-of-social-change-and-collaboration-for-activists/
Hi Che-Anne!
There are most definitely more than a few similarities between our papers. I honestly don’t believe that there are many other alternatives that would have the same potential to broadcast such a wide variety of information and influence that social media platforms do in todays society. Are there any that you can think of that come to mind?
Regards, Jacob.
Hi Jacob,
This was a very interesting and thought-provoking post, where l agree with numerous comments you made within your paper but l also found it to be controversial in others. I believe all people have the right to voice and express their ideas regardless of their merit, political positions, wealth, race, or class. I agree that social media has caused serious, and in some cases negative changes to society, However, it has given people the power to voice their opinion who previously would have been silenced by opposing figures. I found your example of the U.S elections to be very good and insightful, where numerous news outlets and celebrities because of their cultural capital, wealth, and social status were allowed to vote for Biden through Instagram, giving him the push over the finish line he needed.
Overall, great paper, and really enjoyed reading it!
Hi Gustavo!
Thank you for taking the time to read over my post! I couldn’t agree more that everyone should have the right to voice their own opinions. Social media platforms definitely allow people without a voice to be heard and this is a terrific thing! It is just unfortunate however that sometimes people take advantage of this in way that they negatively impact society.
Regards, Jacob.
Hey Jacob,
Good read. I wanted to know what your thoughts were on the removal of some figures from social media platforms like Donald Trump being banned from twitter. Do you think it is encroaching on someone’s right to free speech, or should social media platforms have the right to remove anyone they like?
And if it is a rights issue, should the government regulate how social media platforms must treat their users so its fair for all.
I’m not sure how I stand on the issue yet, being able to express your opinions should be allowed for all, since if you stop one group from voicing their opinions then your right to voice your own may be taken away later. This is basically a slippery slope argument which I’m not fond of.
I’m basically curious because in my own paper I talk about corporations using social media to lie, and as some corporations have the same rights as people do, should they also be removed from platforms for lying?
Thanks for the read, my paper can be found here:
https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/05/06/ad-virtuous-marketable-morality-virtue-signalling-and-the-corporate-hijacking-of-social-advocacy/
Hi Jorell,
I’m glad that you’ve asked this question because it was something that crossed my mind many times while reading similar papers regarding these social issues. Freedom of speech is always a difficult topic to discuss as many people have different understandings and beliefs to what freedom of speech is. However I think its important to remember that when you are posting on a social media platform such as Twitter (Taking the Donald Trump scenario as an example) the corporation that owns the social media platform is well within their rights to take action against anyone using the their platform in way they deem unfit.
In regards to regulating the way social media is used under a rights act that could be a potential legislation of sorts, I believe many issues would arise with find a legislation that all social media platforms would agree upon. Not to mention this legislation would have to incorporate more than one nation and this is something that unfortunately I don’t see being achievable in the near future. Due to the diverse dynamic and coordination it would take to see this happen I believe it is more likely that we will continue to see each social media platform individually monitor and control what is users post, as was the case with Donald Trump on Twitter.
Regards, Jacob.
Hey Jacob, that was a very interesting read, fake news has been a topic that has bothered me for quite some time now as it leads the masses astray and blinds our community turning us into sheep that follows what the media tells us without forming any independent points of view on important topics. Just like the US election example you provided, people have become brain dead when it comes to important topics such as elections and allow Instagram influencers to influence their political stance which I see as absolute rubbish. With the rise of technology and social networking I have realsied people have become more heavily reliant on the narrative of the news and people on social media than their own thoughts which is proven detrimental by all the fake news out there leading us blindly astray. Thank you for touching on this as I feel it is a critical topic in the time we live in.
Hi Joseph,
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I couldn’t agree more! So many people today are influenced by what they see online and do not think for themselves. Unfortunately I think this is something that has become very much the norm of society in todays day and age. Thinking for yourself today is something that some people do not consider and its quite sad because as you stated it can be quite detrimental when we have so much fake news leading people astray.
Regards, Jacob.
I feel so sad for people whose lives are impacted by “fake news” like this.. the pizza shop owner and its staff, Ms Clinton etc.
Even when the false information is retracted, it’s still widely believed by people who have not seen (or have seen and not believed) the retraction.
Sonia
Hi Sonia,
Its terrible isn’t it! Unfortunately once the damage is done, even if it is discredited at a later date people will always have doubts about the individual or person in question. The damage done to the its reputation in most cases can never fully be repaired.
Thanks for taking the time to ready my paper, regards Jacob.
Hi Jacob, this was a really interesting paper to read. I also focused on social media for my paper so it is interesting to hear other points and perspectives on a similar topic. I agree with your point about social media being a major contributor to the increase of fake news online. I recall there being a phase when it seemed like everyone was discussing the Hilary Clinton conspiracy, which is an example of how fast stories can spread, regardless of how ridiculous they might sound! I agree that social media can be utilised as a tool for positive change, however it also enables negative shifts in society too. I wonder if there is some way to moderate and control the media.
Thank you for taking the time to read my paper Eleanor!
Having read your paper I can definitely see some similarities between the two! Its a shame that in most cases negative news spreads a lot faster than positive news due to things such as negativity bias. For years there as been debate around the way that this sort of negative influence could be controlled and unfortunately there as never been a way that would allow us to hold everyone accountable for the content they post online.
Regards, Jacob.
Hi Jacob,
This was a great read and very insightful as well! The examples you’ve used as evidence are also very interesting. As someone who is a fan of Zac, I totally agree with the fact that he has used his social platforms for the better by putting out real content as opposed to false information which a lot of influencers have now been doing to gain recognition.
I find your example of the US election very insightful as well as during the Trump and Biden campaign, the majority of celebrities and influencers used Instagram as a way of giving out information and getting their fans to vote for Biden which gave him the edge. Instagram has been very influential in promoting social change whether it be the US election or social movements such as the Black Lives Matter march where everyone posted a black screen in support of the movement in order to raise awareness.
Activists such as Sophia Bush also actively voices her opinions and provides information on current issues prevalent in our society that needs to change for the better and she does this via Instagram as well. A lot of other celebrities have now started using their platforms to raise awareness on taboo issues and social issues that need to change in order to better society and this has been extremely significant and vital today as well.
Great work!
Thanks Saranya!
The black lies matter campaigns and movements are not something that I had considered but would most definitely reflect the way in which social media has influence on some of the issues in todays society. I think public figureheads and celebrities spreading awareness about issues they support is most definitely something we will continue to see for many years to come.
Regards, Jacob.
Hi Jacob,
Your paper made some very interesting points on how do people use social media in todays society. Individuals are definitely getting some sort of benefits when they use social media as their platform to influence others. There have been a lot of people who have made it big using these platforms like you mentioned Jamie Oliver. You are correct to say that these people are using social media has a free online marketing tool.
Your paper also looks at how organizations especially political parties use social media for own gain. The 2020 American Election between Biden and Trump was a great point as there many people including celebrities such as Melissa Benoist who used Instagram to get their fans to vote.
Having social media is both a positive and a negative for an individual. When Trump was promoting his election there was some misinformation that he was telling his people. My question is how do we make people be accountable if they do put misinformation to gain popularity?
Well done !!
Hi Amber!
Thankyou for taking the time to read over my post.
Holding people accountable for posting false information has always been and I believe will continue to be a problem with social media. As a society I don’t believe we could ever enforce a law or legislation to hold people accountable for intentionally spreading false information with malicious intent. But who knows, maybe one day things will be different.
Hi Jacob,
A great paper that I enjoyed reading. I think using the US Election is a great example to use in this topic as the influencers you see trying to sway the voters mind is so prevalent in The United States. Looking at the previous US Election with Trump v Biden it is very interesting looking through some of the non political endorsements for each of their campaigns especially looking at Donald Trumps’ who was endorsed by rappers such as Kodak Black and Lil Pump. To many this would be seen as a stupid endorsement and im sure many people wondered why a current President (at the time) would have someone like Lil Pump on stage but in fact im sure this would have had an influence on many peoples votes. In The US it is so important to try and convince people to vote as unlike Australia voting isn’t compulsory.
Thanks!
Hi William!
I very much agree, its all about influence in the political spotlight. The point you raise about the people that endorse them having no political standing is quite interesting! Something I hadn’t really considered.
Regards, Jacob.
Excellent post Jacob,
I find this topic very interesting. In my paper l had also referred to the influence that social media played in Trumps presidential win in November 2016, and right throughout his presidency actually. I wrote my paper on radicalisation and social media, and by reading your paper you can really acknowledge the power that social media has on society’s perceptions and actions. It is a very resourcful yet dangerous reality and l think more needs to written to educate people in regards to the warning signs when it comes to malicious content. Great paper mate.
Nathan
Thanks Nathan!
The election in 2016 is a great representation of social media influence in todays society and I have seen it used in may of the papers I’ve viewed over the past few weeks.
Regards, Jacob.
Hi Jacob,
This was a great post. I found it especially interesting to learn how integral the role of social media was in influencing the US election.
You mentioned the negative impacts of social media’s strong influence, such as the Hillary Clinton ‘conspiracy’. The spread of misinformation as damaging as this case is an unfortunate downfall within social media networks. Do you believe there is any way to control the influence that social media has on its audience when it comes to maliciously-spread misinformation? And do harmful, false conspiracies such as these cause negative social change?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Asha
Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
This isn’t something that I had really considered, however I would definitely agree that false conspiracies have the potential to cause negative social change. In relation to minimising damage and controlling influence I would suggest to be as open and transparent about allegations when they arise, interact with your audience and attempt to control the narrative. That’s just my thoughts anyhow.
Regards, Jacob.